


the kids come first

by kennysspace



Series: almost paradise - part two [10]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22397005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kennysspace/pseuds/kennysspace
Summary: almost paradise: part two - chapter ten of fifteenmike's plan might be more dangerous than you thought.
Relationships: Steve Harrington/Henderson Reader, Steve Harrington/Reader, Steve Harrington/You
Series: almost paradise - part two [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1571503
Kudos: 30





	the kids come first

this is also being updated to my tumblr. you can find it [here](https://yelennabelova.tumblr.com)

* * *

Normally, you would've cherished being this close to Steve, his body slumped against yours, head nearly on your shoulder. But there’s a child in the driver’s seat - it’s safe to say that your attention is elsewhere. 

You’re practically biting down on your tongue to stop directions from spilling from your lips, considering the fiery girl already has Lucas instructing her in the worst way possible. The car lurches around a corner; your fingers grip the seat as you desperately send a prayer to every god you’re aware of. 

The force causes Steve to grow conscious - a soft groan emits from him and you feel every sense come alert. The boy blinks blearily for a moment, coming to before his eyes travel up to your face. 

"Nancy?" He mumbles. 

You hate that your heart sinks to the bottom of your stomach; Dustin’s pitiful expression catches your attention for a second before casting your eyes out the fogged window. Steve groans lightly again, hand coming up to massage the bridge of his nose and you let Dustin interfere, reaching out to stop Steve. 

"Hey, no, don't touch it," Steve's eyes peer curiously at Dustin, who shushes him quietly. 

"Hey buddy. It's okay, you’re gonna be fine," Dustin assures him but you are sure Steve isn’t able to take in his words, "You put up a good fight, buddy, okay? You're gonna be alright." 

“What are you talking about?” Mike speaks up, his voice carrying easily across the close quarters of the backseat, “Billy kicked his ass! He had no chance! You  _ saw _ what happened, right?”

“Well  _ excuse me _ for trying to defuse the situation!”

“I’m just tellin’ the truth!”

“Alright, you two,” You interrupt, and instantly regret doing so - both you and Steve react negatively to the volume with which your tone registered.

You adjust the ice-pack you’re holding against Steve’s temple and it causes his focus to be brought to you. The corners of your mouth quirk up as you look down at him, watching as his hazy look take in the dried blood on your face.

Concern begins to crease his brows before Lucas talks again from the passenger’s seat, "Okay, so you're gonna need to keep straight for half a mile before turning left."

Steve's eyes drift between the two kids in the front; you can realize the panic is setting in. His expression changes quickly when he figures out what’s happening, "Oho my god."

"Steve," You say, shifting beside him as the vehicle swerves, "You gotta calm down, okay? Max’s driven before!"

“One time!” Mike replies abruptly, “In a parking lot!” 

“That counts!” Dustin retorts.

Steve stutters before shouting, "You seriously want me to be calm? Slow down, stop the car!" 

“Wait, this is it!” Lucas screams as he points to a stop on the map. Max turns to him, taking her eyes off the road for a split second, “What?”

“Oh my god,” Steve says again; you shush him. 

“Here! There’s the left turn!” Lucas repeats and Max spins the steering wheel so hard you swear the car drifts. The hood slams into a mailbox that she wasn’t able to miss, sending it flying behind you; Dustin watches it bounce against the pavement. 

The group of you are screaming at the top of your lungs, clinging to whatever stable object you can find. Max breaks through a fence before the chief’s truck becomes visible through the windshield. You lurch forwards, gripping onto her seat, “Max! Stop the fucking car!”

She slams on the breaks and nearly crashes into the truck in front of you. Once the car stops, the force causes your head to get thrown into the window, as does Steve’s; he brings a hand up to inspect the damage. Meanwhile, you force a few deep breaths in through your nose, “Is everyone alright?” 

A smattering of positive replies from the kids answers your question.

“Told you,” Max pulls the keys out of the ignition, “Zoomer.” 

The four of them start to pile out of the car one at a time and you follow, albeit much slower. The blue metal feels amazing against your blazing skin, flustered from the experience you hardly survived. A heavy layer of fog rolls down through the field; you recognize the surroundings as the pumpkin patch a few miles from town.

Steve practically falls out of the car after you, wrapping his fingers around your shirt once he’s on his feet. The unexpected feeling startles you enough to cause your body to jump; Steve presses a hand to your back to help stabilize your motions, muttering an apology as he does.

“Hey, wait. Hold on a sec-” Steve tightens his grip on your sleeve as you move away, pulling you back to him. His focus moves over your face as he examines the injuries - he can’t stop thinking about them.

The blood that streamed from your nose has since dried, and the thudding inside your head stopped, thankfully. Your hand throbs relentlessly - although you don’t notice it as much now, and a purple splotch has risen against your jawbone, where Billy’s fist made impact. 

The pad of his thumb brushes over the bruise as Steve cups your face; you can’t help but flinch at the pressure. You can hear your heartbeat in your ears - it’s so loud, you think he could hear. His touch makes you nervous, cheeks turning pink as the evening’s earlier discussion comes to mind - the words Steve had spoken have been spinning around inside your head:

_ Maybe it should’ve been you. _

A hiss escapes past your lips when the feeling’s just a bit too much, recoiling abruptly at the sharp pain that follows. Steve’s nose crinkles at the reaction, a sharp inhale coming through his mouth, “Did he do this to you?”

The silence gives it away and his expression hardens; frantically waving his arm away, you quickly answer him, “Steve, it’s nothing, don’t worry-”

“How could I not?” Steve exclaims, running a hand through his hair in frustration, “I mean, Christ - are you okay?”

“Do those broken fingers look okay to you, Harrington?” Dustin adds, his tone bitter as he passes before popping open the passenger’s side door. Steve glances down and sees the damage before you can hide it, his features further contorting with concern, “What the hell happened there?”

“What do you  _ think _ happened?” Lucas prods, leading the boy in front of you to bite down on his teeth in anger. Of course Steve  _ knows  _ what caused this - that doesn’t mean he wants to admit it.

You notice when Steve starts to wobble slightly; dizziness from the concussion he likely has must be setting in. Reaching out to him, you grab his shoulders in an attempt to have him lean against the car, “Woah, woah, Steve. You gotta be careful, you probably shouldn’t be standing.” 

But Steve doesn’t care about him - he’s fixated on your broken fingers, pushing your fussing hands aside while trying to bring it closer.

”Steve, I’m okay-” You persist. But when he looks up, Steve can only see the deepening bruise across your jaw and the blood smeared over your lips. He manages to land a hand on your bicep, eyes flicking up. His connect with yours in a silent plead to let him help; you give in.

Trying not to wince as his grip slides down to your wrist, you keep your gaze on Steve’s face as he studies your hand, expression growing darker as he turns your hand over in his.

“Jesus Christ,” He mumbles, his fingertips tracing lightly over the back of your hand. He halts when another noise slips past your lips, his focus moving to see your fist clenched tightly by your side.

“Steve,” You start again, pain leaking into your voice, “It’s-” 

“It’s not fine,” Steve mutters. His chest heaves as he tries to contain the fury that’s beginning to bubble over, “I should’ve been th-” 

“Hey dickheads!” Mike’s voice cuts through, startling you back to your senses. In the moment, you’d silently gravitated towards Steve, his breath fanning over your skin and you take a step back, a rosey red rising from your neck. 

“Once we’ve got this all taken care of, we can fix you both up then,” Mike continues. The glance he sends your way is filled with sorrow and pity - you can’t lie, you despise how it feels.

“Wait,” Steve says, glancing between you two, “Are we seriously doing this? I thought we shut this shit down!”

You shrug before beginning to move past him, “Got a better idea? Like they were just gonna behave inside the house.”

“Maybe they would’ve!”

A glare and a scoff are sent in his direction, “I’ve known them a lot longer than you, Harrington. Trust me, they wouldn’t have.”

You throw your backpack over your shoulder, hiding the wince when it hits your aching muscles. Lucas helps you tie the dish towel at the nape of your neck, making sure to not pull it too tight while you adjust the goggles over your eyes. 

“Alright-” Mike starts, “Who’s goin’ first?”

“I’ll do it,” Your reply doesn’t catch anyone by surprise, but you absentmindedly turn to Steve, expecting him to argue against it. It shocks you a bit when he doesn’t fight your request; Steve knows when your stubbornness is going to win. He gestures to the hole in the ground, “After you, Henderson.”

“Okay, you ready?” Your brother asks, grasping your forearm as you prepare to be lowered into the tunnels. After throwing the rope into the darkness, you nod once, and he proceeds to let go.

The ground squelches underneath the soles of your shoes when you drop, and the sudden burst of humidity sends a shiver up your spine. 

“It’s clear, come on,” You shout to the group, who are patiently awaiting your signal. Senses are on high alert as you press the button on the flashlight, and the image of the long, dark tunnel in front of and behind you reignites fear inside you.

Max comes down next, and you wrap an arm around her middle to help ease the process. You hear her take a deep breath once she’s firmly secured, and she shakes some slimy goo from her shoes, “Gross.”

Steve’s the last one to come down and he lets out a low whistle at the sight of it all, “Jesus Christ. I wonder how long this has been here?”

“Weeks?” Lucas replies, “Maybe longer?”

You bat Dustin’s curious hands away from the vines that cover the walls, and god - you wish he could see the look on your face. Mike clears his throat as turns the hand drawn map in his hands, wedging the flashlight between his jaw and shoulder, “Okay, I’m pretty sure we take a left here.”

“How sure are you, Michael?” You ask, taking a couple steps forward to approach him. Mike whips himself around, pointing his light beam directly into your eyes, “I’m one hundred percent sure! Just follow me, alright?”

“Woah, no way!” Steve pushes past the others to get to Mike, snatching the paper from his grasp, “Any of you little shits die down here, we’re gonna get the blame for it, alright? I’m gonna lead from here on out.” Mike huffs, “But I-”

“Mike, come on - it’s too dangerous for you to go first,” You speak, using a gentler tone to appease the boy. He sighs, realizing you just want to keep him safe, but that doesn’t mean he’s thrilled about it. Letting the others file in front of you, you resort to being the caboose to make sure the kids are protected on both sides.

After a few minutes of walking, your shoes begin to drag slightly as exhaustion starts to settle in again. There’s nothing more you can say to keep up your morale, except that after this, hopefully it’ll all be over soon. 

You collide into your brother once he’s stopped dead in his tracks, eyes cast upwards as he stares at something. 

“What the hell-” He starts, and you catch sight of what his focus is on. It’s a flower-like plant that has petals nearly identical to the Demogorgon’s. You reach out to pull him away, but it shoots out a stream of large, skin like particles into his face, and he collapses to the ground.

Dustin’s panicked screams echo into the tunnel and you can feel every nerve alight in fear. 

“Oh my god, oh my god!”

“It’s in my mouth! It’s in my-” 

You drop to your knees beside your baby brother, ripping the dish towel from off your face, “Fuck, Dustin - spit it out!” 

You can hear the others rushing back, filling the air with the sounds of the tunnels squishing underfoot; your focus is still on Dustin, coughing aggressively by your side. 

“Jesus Christ, if you die because of  _ this _ ,” You mutter as Dustin’s spluttering stops, his chest heaving, out of breath. He looks at you through the snorkel goggles - his silence scares you to no end.

“I’m okay,” Dustin finally says, and you breathe a sigh of relief. You use your free hand to tug him to his feet, and into a tight hug, “Thank god.”

“Don’t ever scare me like that please. Ever again, you hear me?” Your tone is pleading and Dustin nods, his hands around your waist, “Promise.”

“Very funny, man,” Steve says, turning back around, his tone dripping in annoyance, “Nice job giving her a heart attack.” 

“Jesus, what an idiot,” Max mutters, shaking her head as she follows behind the others and turns to Lucas, “Is he serious?”

It’s hard not to marvel at the scale of the giant room once the group reaches it - Mike dubs it the hub. The six of you work quickly to make sure it’s completely drenched in gasoline; you’re thankful for the cloth that protects your nose from the fumes. Once you’ve all gathered at the entrance, you speak up.

“Okay, are we ready?” Knowing they’re going to have to get ready to run as soon as the fire catches, the kids all nod in agreement. And without another word, Steve tosses the lighter to the center.

The orange flames start to spread before the lighter even touches the ground, and you grab Lucas and Max and pull them backwards, “Come on, come on! We gotta run!” Steve looks down at the map briefly and gestures to move to the right, “Go, that way!”

You let everyone pass before following closely behind, head glancing over your shoulder as you hear a peculiar noise echo - the vines, it’s like they’re screaming. But those aren’t just vines, they’re alive, infested with the Mind Flayer’s mind.

The group doesn’t manage to make it very far before stopping again - a demodog is in your path, and Dustin’s right up front.

You feel like you could nearly faint, and you’re not sure if it’s from the pain pulsing through your body or the sight ahead of you. Probably a bit of both.

Steve grabs you before you can move forward, his arm sliding over your back to keep you close and still.

“No, no, no, no, no,” You’re chanting under your breath and Steve can feel your resistance, wanting to pull away, to be closer to your brother. Steve shushes you quietly, praying that your panic won’t distract the monster from the trance it’s in. 

“Hey buddy, yeah it’s me. I got- I got a treat for you, if you want it? Your favorite.” 

You watch, breaths coming in faster as Dustin spins his pack from his shoulder, pulling a Three Musketeers bar from a side pocket. He gestures for everyone to move past while the creature’s occupied on the candy, his hand waving violently through the air. Steve’s fingers curl around your waist as he guides you forward, and you grab your brother by his sweater as you pass, yanking him along.

“God, are you  _ insane _ ?” You ask Dustin and he swats your hand away, “You really want to do this  _ now _ ?” 

“Those things are  _ so  _ dangerous-”

“Guys, enough!” Max shouts as the group approaches the exit, her flashlight casting a shadow behind the rope.

“Alright, come on,” Dustin says as he goes to help Steve lift you up through first. You push away from them before reaching for Max, insisting she should go. 

“No way, you’re going,” Steve demands, panic evident in his tone. 

“The kids come first, Steve. And besides, I won’t be able to get up without someone to pull,” You respond, gesturing with a finger in his direction.

“But-”

“End of discussion!” 

You grab the girl and start to lift her with Mike and Lucas’ help; there’s no time for them to argue with you. Max helps pull up Lucas next, then Mike. Dustin turns to you as the growls from the demodogs reach your ears, their thundering runs growing louder and louder, “You’re next!”

Steve reiterates your brother’s position as he sees low and dark shadows quickly approaching from around the corner, “God dammit, just go!”

Mike and Max grab hold of your arm once your torso becomes exposed from the passages, the cold air that hits you is a massive sigh of relief.

As soon as they’ve managed to pull you up, the goggles are being ripped from your head and the towel is shoved around your neck. Lucas moves Max out of the way while you throw your hand down for Dustin, but you already know you’re two seconds too late. 

You can’t see down into the tunnels with the headlights from the car shining ahead of you; the others are shouting down, begging for them to just hurry up. You wiggle your fingers to try and catch Dustin’s attention - your breathing coming in labored and heavy.

The joint between your arm and shoulder strains; you’re pushing your body as far as can be mustered, “Dustin, please! Just-”

The tips of his fingers barely skim over your palm before he gets wrenched away, back down into the darkness. 

After everything you and the kids have been through, your heart’s never felt like this. There’s nothing but shock written on your face as you feel your brother - the undisputed light of your life - get taken from you. 

The very instant you feel Dustin’s hand latch to your wrist, a sob crawls its way up your throat, because you thought you had lost him. For a split second inside your mind, the most important people in your life were gone and for that brief moment, you wanted to join them.

The adrenaline coursing through your veins lets you pull your brother up unassisted; you can’t feel the pain from your fingers anymore. Dustin’s in the middle of taking off his protective measures when you tackle him into a tight embrace - it catches him off guard.

“You promised me you’d never scare me like that again!” You sniffle, pulling away to catch the smile that grows over his face. He doesn’t know why he laughs, but he does. 

“Stop that, it’s not funny!”

“You’re just so worried!”

You smack him on the arm as you start to grin, “God, you idiot - I thought you were dead! I thought I’d have to tell Mom!”

Dustin laughs again before apologizing, realizing just how concerned you really were for his well being. He’s thankful to have you to offer support whenever possible. 

“Holy shit,” Max says, her head hanging low, “I can’t believe we just did that.”

“You get used to it,” Steve adds, running a hair through his hair.

Once you’ve confirmed that each of the kids are safe and sound, you approach Steve, watching as he attempts to catch his breath. But his weary expression lightens when he sees you, and his thudding heart begins to calm when you collide with him, muscles tightening to pull him into a hug; he immediately returns it. 

“Thank you,” You sigh, relaxing as the anxiety begins to vanish. His hand curls into the fabric of your jacket as you continue, “For saving him.” Steve lifts his chin from where he'd buried it in your shoulder, his words still muffled by your clothes, “Of course.”

God, you don’t want to pull away - you would stand here forever in his arms if you could. But when he finally does, he doesn’t remove his touch from you entirely; a hand stays placed on your elbow to keep you close. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you as the sense of panic and dread has passed. 

“You weren’t kiddin’ when you said they’re a pain in the ass,” Steve says, glancing over to the four of them, smiling a bit at the image of them comforting each other; Mike’s helping Dustin dust off his hoodie. 

You smirk before beginning to move towards the car as they approach, “And to think you never believed me.”

Lucas has his arms around Mike and Dustin’s shoulders, and Max pulls the keys out of her back pocket, “Should I check on our ride-along?” 

You snort at Steve’s look of confusion, motioning for him to follow her to the trunk. The girl unlocks it and lifts the door, the light catches on her features.

“Jesus Christ, he’s been here the whole time?” Steve exclaims and you nod, “Yep. They stuffed him in there, if you can believe it.” Seeing Billy Hargrove passed out and jammed into the trunk of his own car brings a considerable amount of closure. It’s not quite enough, but it’s a start.

“We’ll consider it payback,” Max says, pushing the door back down and locking it afterwards. You turn back to the others, tapping at your watch, “Ready to go?” 

Everyone answers positively; their tones laced with exhaustion. Max adjusts the keys in her grip as she starts to head towards the driver’s side door, but Steve stops her before she can get very far.

“Oh hell no, I’m not going through that shit again, no way,” Steve gestures for her to give him the keys, to which she refuses.

“You probably have a concussion too!” Dustin shouts, clearly exasperated with both you and Steve; he can’t believe either one of you would be so reckless. But then again, your brother’s words makes you realize that pain has started to spread through your hand again - you can’t wait to be home.

“You’re in no condition to drive,” Max agrees. 

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” Steve protests, and you see the uncertainty in her eyes.

Mike huffs from Lucas’ side, “Son of a bitch, just let one of ‘em drive, I’m hungry.” 


End file.
